U.S. nuke design could help Japan

The earthquake and tsunami exceeded the design basis of the plant

03/24/2011

Though designed to withstand a 7.9 (Richter scale) earthquake, Japan’s Daiichi nuclear power plant survived a 9.0 earthquake – a once every 300-years event – and backup diesel power performed as expected, until the tsunami mixed seawater with the diesel fuel, said North Carolina State University Nuclear Engineering Professor Paul Turinsky.

The earthquake and tsunami exceeded the design basis of the plant, he said.